Page 12 of Serpents of the Night

Brushing her hands down the long tunic, she straightened the hem and gave her mates a nervous smile. “Well, what do you think?”

Kehtal hummed with delight and slipped from the nest, his wings stirring the air so that he whipped forward with an astonishing speed to gather her into his arms. His leathery wing snapped around her and he nuzzled her jaw. Laughing, Lori leaned into him, enjoying the intimate warmth of their bodies pressed close together until Slengral impatiently batted the male’s wings away.

He regarded Kehtal with amusement but fanned his wings toward him as if shooing him away. “Enough of that,” he groused. “We should leave now. Nest play can resume when we return, after we satisfy my mother’s expectations.”

“I wonder how many of those there will be,” Kehtal muttered, giving voice to Lori’s own thoughts.

“Not too many, I hope,” Slengral replied with a heavy sigh. “It depends on how determined she is to secure my presence here as the return of an heir. There could be many parties that we will be subjected to designed to convince me to comply.”

“At least she yielded to Lori’s demand and did not try to nest you separately. I would not put it past her to try to send females to entice you,” Daskh huffed.

Lori’s jaw dropped. “She wouldn’t really try to do that—would she?”

“She may try,” Slengral admitted reluctantly, his wings drooping. “Although she will respect some of your demands because you are a female, it does not mean she will not try to test me and manipulate me into doing as she wants.”

“What?” Lori’s eyes widened as she looked from him to Daskh.

Her large mate nodded grimly. “If she is able to successfully get Slengral to mate with a Seshanamitesh female, it will be the legally recognized mating. She could not get rid of you or your offspring because of your prior claim, but you would be reduced to the charity of the other female while remaining under the protection of our laws.”

“Scraps,” Kehtal muttered. “I knew of one case of a young male who died very young—he starved to death because there was a contested mating where two females argued over a single male. His bond was not fully formed with his mate and another female was able to lure him away in a moment of vulnerability. The new mate was given legal status, and his former mate and offspring were provided very little—just scraps from the hunts. The mother survived, but she was unable to provide enough nourishment for her nestling. Such things rarely happen, but the queen matriarch may attempt it in the hope of securing an heir who isn’t a hybrid. You’ve cast serious doubts on Vekatha’s claim, but it will only likely make Queen Zathexa even more determined.”

“Especially when she sees that Hashal will also be brought into the royal nest, even though he is nearly of age for the haga,” Daskh’s added grimly. “A Seshanamitesh female will see that he is placed into the haga in accordance with our traditions, ridding the queen of an unknown male from her family.”

“Fuck.” Lori drew in a sharp breath and shakily expelled it. “Ok. No problem. You guys are going to be by my side, so there isn’t going to be a chance of anyone being cornered alone and away from me. We can do this. We just need to provide a united front at all times regardless of what is thrown at us.”

A faint look of confusion briefly passed over her mates’ faces at her choice of words, but they mulled it over and seemed to get her meaning as they inclined their heads in acknowledgment.

She rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms against her legs and looked uncertainly at her mates. “I guess that’s it. We are ready to go.”

“Slengral will carry you,” Daskh rumbled as the male in question moved forward.

Lori blinked at him in surprise. Not so much that Slengral was going to carry her, but more specifically his wording. Although Daskh carried her long distances, it was not unusual for the others to pick her up and haul her along whenever the mood suited them. It was the first time, however, that it was assigned like it was a job that had to be done.

Kehtal grimaced and bumped her affectionately with a wing. “He just means that it will reinforce your connection. Daskh has a head for strategy and is thinking of the message that it will send to the court.”

“Oh. Of course,” Lori said as she turned to Slengral and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m guessing that this is going to be a very long evening.”

He huffed in annoyed agreement, but the smile he gave her was sweet. “We will try to fill the time in our own way as much as we are allowed to. It will not be all bad, I promise,” he whispered as he lifted her hand and rubbed her knuckles against the soft scales of his cheek.

She knew that he was dosing her with fresh pheromones, but the gesture was one of intense affection and love. Despite the gravity of their situation, a smile tugged at her lips as some of the weight lifted from deep within her chest.

Opening his arms for her, Slengral gathered her up against his chest and held her close for a heartbeat as he fanned his large wings before bursting forward with a speed that stole her breath. With a rapid weaving of his tail, he launched them from the tunnel of their nest and into the cavern air, setting off for the palace that loomed just ahead of them.

Seshanamitesh had size and speed on her, but Lori’s jaw hardened as they glided for the high entrance. If the queen matriarch thought she would be an easy one to play games with and push aside, she was going to be disappointed.

Chapter 10

The great hall of the palace was filled with luxuries that her previous visit had only hinted at, laid out before her extravagantly and highlighted by the numerous females reclined comfortably on their coils everywhere Lori looked. Not only were there galthie blooming everywhere, but many were arranged under crackle glass domes, amplifying their light and sending it scattering over the mica-like powders of various hues that they painted not only on their faces but all over their bodies, especially along their small breasts where they coated in thick enough layers that they didn’t have anything else except the paint covering them there. The females sparkled with every slight movement or undulation, and suddenly Lori felt very small, plain, and forgettable among them. Not to mention mildly ridiculous with her goggles fastened securely to her face.

She swallowed sharply, her hand resting protectively over the small bump of her belly as her gaze swept over the crowd. Numerous luminous eyes turned toward them as several of the Seshanamitesh bent their heads together and began talking amongst themselves in low voices.

“You didn’t warn me that your females paint themselves,” she hissed.

“I... did not recall,” Slengral replied faintly, sounding just as shocked as she felt.

Lori glanced over at Daskh and Kehtal, but both males were busy staring at the room filled with glittering bodies. Kehtal’s mouth opened and snapped closed, and Daskh’s gavo fluttered nervously as his gaze snapped away from a lone female staring at him to fasten desperately on Lori, as his wings tightened around Hashal tucked against his body. She wasn’t the only unmated female in the room either. While there were several females reclined with their mates, there were even more unmated females perched together throughout the room, and all of them were looking directly at them with interest.

The big male swallowed uncomfortably. “None of us have spent time with a female at a gathering since we were young. It seems that some of the fashions have changed.”

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